Georgia extends oyster harvest closure due to unusually warm water

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Georgia is extending the annual closure of the oyster harvest season because of unusually warm ocean temperatures. Officials say the closure, which usually ends September 30, will continue until the water is safe for wild oysters.

It’s common knowledge in coastal areas: avoid raw oysters in the summer because warm water lets dangerous bacteria flourish. Georgia shuts down wild oyster harvesting from June through September every year to keep people safe. But this year, for just the second time, the state is extending the closure because the water is still too warm. 

“I think it’s a pretty known thing. We had a very hot summer,” said Dominic Guadagnoli, who manages the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shellfish and water quality program. “And also, we didn’t have, thankfully, any major storms. Usually the major storms, even tropical storms, will cool waters down.”

In 2018, the state extended the closure for several weeks until ocean temperatures cooled, he said.

The state has made a major change since then, implementing a formal system for farming and harvesting of oysters. That means that now, the restrictions only apply to wild oysters. Using floating gear, farmers can control the conditions for the oysters they raise, making them safe to harvest and eat throughout the closure season.

“Our oysters have to stay submerged for two weeks before we harvest them,” said Laura Solomon, owner of Tybee Oyster Company. “That means that they’re continuing to sit in the water, filtering, and in the shade of our floats, and all of those things. So they’re never just sitting in the sun.”

Solomon’s firm is one of three in the state with a permit to harvest during the closure under the new regulations.

Officials are closely monitoring the ocean temperature and will reopen the harvest as soon as it’s safe, Guadagnoli said.